Children of wealthy families are widely seen as living their dream, particularly those who take over the family business. "I must say I am one of the lucky few," said Angela Wong Ching-yi, 31, deputy chairman of Midland Realty (1200).
Although Wong is the daughter of Midland chairman and founder Freddie Wong Kin-yip, her career did not flow as smoothly as people assumed.
"He is a tough father who trained me well. He always asks 120 percent from me," she said.
Despite a successful family business in the property market, Angela Wong opted for accounting.
"My childhood is rooted in the property world. My dad would bring me to his different projects. It was so boring back then but somehow it made me see myself as an entrepreneur. So I thought I'd better be good with numbers," Wong said.
She went on to be an audit associate in one of the big four accounting firms, PricewaterhouseCoopers.
"It was a tough, intensive training at PricewaterhouseCoopers," she recalled. "Back then, the economy was bad due to the global turmoil. The low audit fee could not offset the high cost at all.
So, the company cut back on headcount while maintaining the workload. For instance, the workload of five people was done by three staff. Working hours were lengthened too, around 15-16 hours per day," she said.
There were times she wanted to quit. But looking back, she feels grateful to have that experience, realizing that the job is more than just numbers.
If you don't get p
ushed to the limit, there are certain things that you will never learn, Wong said. The long working hours and the high expectations pushed her to be more accurate.Business exposure is another thing.
She went to many factories and TV stations, met a lot of company managers and learned valuable management skills. She found out what kind of qualities a leader should have. All of these helped her run a company in a very short time.
Wong is also a licensed property agent but she has yet to conduct any deals just by herself.
"My colleagues are reluctant to let me do the deals alone. But the license from the Estate Agents Authority is very useful because I can lend a hand during big transactions," she said.
A top executive, Wong believes, has to be a perfectionist.
"When I ask my staff to put 100 percent effort, they would probably give me just 90 percent," she said.
She figured out that if she does not expect the best from them, they will not try hard enough. She expects her staff to "be better and different" everyday.
"I want my staff to come up with new inputs everyday, even just bits and pieces. Again, it's about the motivation to advance. That explains the `be better' part," she said.
She sees herself as being different and even thrives in spite of this.
She was raised in Vancouver. The Canadian education opened her mind to new things.
As she moved to Hong Kong, she came to absorb the vibes of this fascinating city. This has helped her understand and connect easily to her staff.
She also feels different, being in a male-dominated industry.
"Men often give the impression that they are strong and powerful with great ego and pride. But women have a higher emotional quotient and can be there to resolve conflict," she said.
In February, a conflict seemed to have broken out among Midland agents. Afterwards, the other deputy chairman Albert Wong Kam-hong resigned from the company.
"I would rather not talk about it," Wong said. "We are a service industry. Sometimes women are more attentive to detail. These all make me different in the industry."
It may sound ideal to be the daughter of Midland Holdings founder and chairman, but Wong said it is not that easy to be regarded as his successor.
"If I were to open an Angela Wong and Company, of course it would be easier. I would just build a new house from scratch. But Midland to me is a historic structure.
"If I remove a piece, I will have to make sure that I don't shake its core structure. Or if I add something to it, I have to make sure that it does not collapse. That's maintenance with extreme caution."
"It's about respecting what has been around for 39 years. There has to be a reason. The gist and the core can't be moved, but there must be some room for improvements."
And then there is the art of communicating with her father.
"With Mr. Wong, it is about how to work with a boss and a father at the same time. The relationship has to be closer than a father and a daughter, and also closer than a boss and a staff," she said.
The key is to show respect for his establishments, while bringing up new ideas to him.
"You only believe in what you believe in. That's the same for him too. Getting him to accept new ideas calls for a really high level of communication skills and earning his trust through action.
Many times during the interview she would call him Mr Wong instead of Dad.
He finds it rather contradictory.
"In his eyes, I am always a baby. But as a boss, he wants me to deliver, too. So I have to balance that out for him."
That would also apply to other senior managers in the company. She would ask for their help to earn her father's respect.
"To many of them, I am no different than a little girl. Their insightful opinion helps me convince Mr Wong too. That's why teamwork is so important at Midland. No matter who the figure head is, teamwork is crucial to success.
"We are a listed company, not a family business, after all," she said.
